Power transmission mechanism



Sept. 20, 1949. B. E. HILL- 2,482,110

POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM Filed Sept. 11, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR- .5 M40 L. ///LL 9' 641x040.

' Sept. 20, 1949. BEHILL Y 2,482,110-

POWER T RANSMISSION MECHANISM Filed Sept. 11, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Saw/1:0 Mu.

INVBITOR- Sept. 20, 1949. B. a HILL 2,482,110

POWER ,TRANSMISSION MECHANISM Filed Sept. 11, 1946 4 Sheeis-Sheet 3 I l7 a a a 4- 4 Y ATTORNEYQ Patented Sept. 20, 1949 UNITED sures PATENTOFFICE POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM Bernard E. Hill, Jacksonville, Fla.Application September 11, 1946, Serial No. 698,095

My present invention relates generally to improvements in powertransmission mechanism for automotive vehicles, and more specifically toan improved power transmission mechanism for selective auxiliary use inthe rotary transmission of power from the motor to the driving mechanismof the vehicle.

In addition to the performance of its functions as a power take-dmechanism for operating various types of extraneous machines orappliances, the selective auxiliary power transmission of my inventionmay be employed as a supplemental means for increasing the driving powerof the automotive vehicle, as well'as for transferring some of theavailable power from the automotive vehicleto another vehicle, as forinstance a V, trailer vehicle.

The primary object of the invention is the provision'of a selectiveauxiliary power transmission that may readily be combined with the maindriving mechanism of an automotive vehicle; and the principles'of myinvention may be physically embodied in existing standard types ofrotary drivin mechanisms without materially altering or changing theconstruction and operation thereof, and to insure a neat, durable, andserviceable component part of the original power transmissron.

By the combined use of the auxiliary mechani'sm with the'main drivingmechanism, the full capacity of the vehicle motor may be employed inpropelling the vehicle, as well as for utilizing available power foroperating auxiliary appliances and machinery.

The invention consists 'in certain novel combinations and arrangementsof parts as will be hereinafter disclosed and described, and moreparticularly set forth in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings I have illus-* trated one complete exampleof the physical embodiment of my invention in which the parts arecombined and arranged in accord with one mode I have devised for thepractical application of the principles of my invention. It willbeunderstood, however, that changes and alterations are contemplated andmay be made in these exemplifying drawings and mechanical structures,within the scope of my appended claim, without departing from theprinciples of my invention.

Figure l is a top plan view of the power plant and transmissionmechanism of an automotive vehicle, together with the auxiliarymechanism of my invention, showing the general assembly and relation ofparts; and Figure 2 is a side elevation of the structures in Fig. 1. u

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail transversevertical sectional view at line3t of Fig. 1, showing the gear-shifting mechanism for the auxiliarytransfer or transmission.

Figure 4 is a horizontal detail sectional view, as

iii

1 Claim. (Cl. 74-1538) at line 44 in Fig. 2 showing the transmissiongears in position to divert or transfer power from the power shaft orengine shaft to the auxiliary shaft, with the drive shaft of theautomotive vehicle idle.

Figure 5 is a detail horizontal sectional view showing the transmissiongears in position to operate the drive shaft of the vehicle, while theauxiliary shaft remains idle.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 with the transmission gears inposition to drive both the vehicle drive shaft and the auxiliary shaft.

Figure 7 is a vertical, transverse sectional view at line l-l of Fig. 4;and

Figure 8 is a vertical transverse sectional view at line t-t of Fig. 4.

For a clear understanding of the relation of parts, I have shown in theassembly views Figs. 1 and 2 so much of the power plant of an automotivevehicle as is necessary to indicate the construction and operation ofthe auxiliary mechanism. The illustrated parts include a portion of themotor M, the housing If for the variable speed transmission with itsshift-lever L, and a portion of the vehicle drive shaft D that extendslongitudinally and rearwardly to the differential gearing. The driveshaft D forms a part of a sectional, flexible, propulsion shaft orpropelling shaft, that includes a universal joint J with its sleeve Sfixed on a splined main-shaft section i, and the power shaft or engineshaft t that is revolved by the motor M.

As shown in Fig. 4' the splined power shaft t and the drive shaft l areaxially alined to form a joint, and the joint is located in a gearhousing 3 located at the rear of the variable speed gear transmissionhousing H, and disposed transversely of the vehicle.

The gear housing 3 is provided with an integral front open boss orbushing t of rugged and durable character, which is drilled for a seriesof attaching bolts 5 that are'threaded in an attaching flange t at therear end of the variable speed transmission housing H, and the gearhousing is thus compactly arranged to occupy a minimum space.

Near its rear end the power shaft 2 is journaled in ball bearings lmounted in the attaching boss or bushing 4, and the splined drive shafti is mounted in ball bearings t at the rear side of the housing 3, theusual plates i being employed to retain the bearing parts.

The rear end of the power shaft 2, as shown, is equipped with a'couplingsleeve ill that is rigidly splined on the shaft to revolve therewith,and the sleeve is of ample length to enclose the reduced end of theaxially alined drive shaft I, and to provide for a connection betweenthese shaft ends a set of roller bearings ii is interposed between theenclosing sleeve and the reduced and of the drive shaft.

As best seen in Figs. and 6, the end of the drive shaft i within thehousing gear is provided with external teeth or a gear ring l2, while aportion of the coupling sleeve is fashioned with an axially alinedseries of teeth l3 forming a gear ring of approximately twice the lengthof the shorter gear ring i2 of the drive shaft I.

For selective engagement to co-act with the power shaft and the driveshaft a shift gear M having internal gear teeth 15 engaging the gearrings i2 and I3 is mounted over the joint, and the shift gear isprovided with external teeth l3 adapted for selective engagement with anauxiiiary shift gear H.

The hub l8 of the shift gear I! is splined upon an auxiliary shaft l9that is journaled in spaced bearings 20 of the gear housing, and asshown the auxiliary shaft extends longitudinally of the vehicle inparallelism with the flexible propelling shaft.

The driving shift-gear l4 and the driven shiftgear H are mounted upontheir respective supporting shafts for longitudinal sliding. movement,either jointly, or singly and separately, under manual control of asingle shift lever 2| located slightly to the rear of the main, orvariable speed shift lever L of the automotive vehicle.

In Fig. 3 this auxiliary control lever is journaled with a spherical orball-bearing 22 in a casin 23 mounted on top of the gear housing 3, andthe lever with its universal pivot joint is provided with an interioractuating head 20 for selective co-action with two transversely arrangedlongitudinally slidable shifting arms 25 and 26. The oppositelyextending arms are provided with forked ends 27 and 28 that are engagedin annular grooves in the hub 29 of gear M, and in the hub l8 of theauxiliary shift gear ll respectively.

The lever arms 25 and 26 are provided with angular heads 30 and 3|opposed to each other, and these heads are slidably mounted upon a pairof parallel longitudinally extending-bearing rods or guide rods 32 and33; and as indicated in full lines Fig. 3 with the head 24 of the lever2! engaging both heads 30, 3| of the shifting arms, both of thetransmission gears l4 and I] may be shifted to position of Fig. 6 wherepower is being transferred from the power shaft 2 simultaneously throughthe flexible propeller shaft to the drive wheels of the vehicle, and tothe auxiliary shaft.

By a pre-lateral swing of the shift lever on its pivot head to the lefthand dotted position of Fig. 3 the lever may be shifted to disengage theauxiliary gear H from the driving gear H in Fig. 6, and shifted toposition of Fig. 5, where power from the power shaft 2 is operating topropel the vehicle while the auxiliary mechanism remains idle.

By a pre-lateral swing of the lever 2| to the right hand dotted positionit may be shifted to actuate arm 25 which slides gear I! from itsposition in Fig. 5 into engagement with gear I! as in Fig. 4, and powerwill be transmitted from the power shaft 2 to the auxiliary shaft l8only, the drive shaft l remaining idle and disconnected from the powershaft.

The auxiliary shaft may be connected at its front or rear ends withsupplemental mechanism for driving wheels of the automotive vehicle, andthis transmission of power may readily be controlled by the lever 2|.

While the, automotive vehicle is stationary and the drive shaft D isdisconnected, power under selected speed from the power shaft may betaken off through the auxiliary mechanism and applied to operate varioustypes of appliances, and machinery.

While the automotive vehicle is traveling under operation of theflexible propelling shaft, power Having thus fully described myinvention, what.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A power take off transmission adapted'to be connected to a splined poweroutput shaft, a gear housing adapted to be connected to a housincontaining the output shaft, a sleeve adapted to be splin'ed to theoutput shaft and extend mm the gear housing, said sleeve having externalsplines, a large gear adjustable along said splines of the sleeve andhaving splines for connection therewith, a shaft extending from the gearhousing and adapted for connection to a propeller shaft having splinesadapted to receive the internal splines of the large gear whereby adriving connection can be effected between the sleeve and the shaftadapted to be connected to the propeller shaft, a second shaft extendingthrough the housing and from the opposite ends thereof adapted forconnection with auxiliary devices, said second shaft being splined, agear axially slidable over the splines of the second shaft and adaptedto be adjusted for engagement with the gear on the sleeve, and gearlever means connected to the gear housing and to the respective gears toselectively cause the gear on the sleeve to be placed either inengagement with the splines on the shaft adapted to be connected to a ppeller shaft to couple the sleeve and the shaft or to be free of theshaft adapted to be connected to the propeller shaft and the second gearon the auxiliary shaft to be placed in either driving relation with thefirst gear when in either of its selective positions or free of thefirst gear to permit the operation of the propeller shaft alone withoutthe operation of the auxiliary shaft.

BERNARD E. HILL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,674,072 Soule June 19, 19281,802,419 Freeman et a1 Apr. 28, 1931 2,265,260 Argo Dec. 9, 1941FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 63,779 Sweden Jan. 27, 1925

